Download Exploring Mathematics

ii
A Teacher’s Guide to Exploring Mathematics
Ames Bryant
Kit Pavlekovsky
Emily Turner
Tessa Whalen-Wagner
Adviser: Deanna Haunsperger
ii
Contents
Contents
I
Introduction
V
I
1
Number Sense
Counting Basics
3
Grocery Shopping
4
Units
5
Modular Arithmetic
6
Logarithms and Exponents
8
Changing Bases
11
II
15
Geometry
Construction I
17
Construction II
21
Möbius Strips
22
Pythagorean Theorem
23
How Far Can a Robot Reach?
25
Spherical Geometry
27
I
II
III
CONTENTS
Sets
29
De Morgan’s Law
31
Building Sets
32
Subsets
34
Investigating Infinity
36
IV
39
Probability
Probability vs. Reality
41
Game Theory
43
Continuous Probability
45
Bayes’ Theorem
45
V
Patterns
51
Math in Nature
53
Fibonacci in Nature
53
Counting Patterns
55
Tiling
57
VI
Data
61
Bad Graphs
63
Graphs
64
Introduction to Statistics
66
CONTENTS
VII
Logic
III
71
Pigeonhole Principle
73
Formal Logic
74
Logical Paradoxes
76
Logic Puzzles
77
VIII
85
Miscellaneous
Map Coloring
87
Shortest Path Problem
88
Flexagons
90
Math in Literature
92
IV
CONTENTS
Introduction
V
VI
Part I
Number Sense
1
Number Sense
Counting Basics
Goals
Learn basic skills for counting possible choices, estimating number of possible outcomes
Supplies
N/A
Prior Knowledge
N/A
9. How many ways are there for the word "light?" How many ways can you rearrange the
word "happy" and end up with "happy"?
10. Think about using the shepherd’s principle. The sheep are the number of circular arrangements, and their legs seem to be linear arrangements of the same number of people. How
many legs on each sheep?
11. Think about a picky eater who only eats one flavor of ice cream. How many different cones
can he or she buy? How many dishes? Why does this matter?
Answers
1. We make one of 5 choices of paper, and then one of 3 choices of model: 5 × 3 = 15 possibilities.
2. 12 possibilities, the order does not matter in this case (because the possible results are
distinct for the coin and for the die).
3. 3 × 5 × 2 ways
4. If we had n objects, and wanted to arrange them all in a row, we would have n choices for
the first object in the row, n − 1 for the second object, and so on. Thus n! is the number of
arrangements (or "permutations") of n objects.
5. Continued in exercise.
6. (Total outfits)-(forbidden outfits) (2 × 3 × 3) − (1 × 3 × 1) = 15
3
7. (total ways)-(ways with Arnold driving and Betsy shotgun) = (4 × 3 × 2) − (2) = 22
8. We need to know that we are overcounting consistently– if we have a 3-legged sheep (that
is, if the pieces we break our set of items into aren’t all the same size) then we cannot use
it.
9. There are 5! ways to rearrange the letters, but this count will include both "ppyah" and
"ppyah". We can’t distinguish between the two p’s so we are overcounting by a factor of
2. So there are 5!/2 = 60 distinct rearrangements. Similarly for "mammal", for a given
arrangement there are 3! ways to swap around the m’s without changing anything, so we
need to divide by 6. Furthermore, the two a’s can also be swapped, so there are (6!/3!)/2 =
120 distinct rearrangements.
10. For any circular seating arrangement, we can find a different linear arrangement (permutation) depending on who we start at. For example, ADCB =DCBA = CBAD = BADC. If there
are n people at the table, then I have n different choices for who to start recording at. Thus
the number of circular arrangements is n!/n. (How can we simplify this expression?)
11. Your friend is wrong! Specifically, if a cone has more than one scoop of a given flavor, then
there are fewer than 6 ways to rearrange them. This means that we are not over-counting
by the same amount for each cone. You could rehabilitate her argument by breaking it
down into cases by the number of different flavors.
4
Number Sense
Grocery Shopping
Goals
To develop estimation (and percentage) skills within a real life context.
Supplies
Do NOT provide calculator. This activity is meant to strengthen computation and mental math
skills.
Prior Knowledge
N/A
Hints
N/A
Answers
1. One possible answer:
2 Oreos, 4 fruit roll-ups, 1 bag of chips, 2 cans of pop, 1 gum, 1 bread, 1 mrilk, 1 block cheese,
1 package of meat.
2. The estimate should be between $31 and $34, $32.70(exact).
3. The estimate should be between $32 and $37, it’s nearly $35.97(exact). If students are far
below encourage them to overestimate each item to the nearest 10 cents.
4. One possible answer: 1 Oreos, 4 fruit roll-ups, 1 bag of chips, 2 cans of pop, 1 gum, 1 bread,
1 milk, 1 block cheese, 1 package of meat.
5. The sticker prices should add up to $18.18 (1.1×x=20).
6. One possible answer: 2 Oreos, 4 fruit roll-ups, 1 bag of chips, 1 cans of pop, 1 bread, 1 milk,
1 block cheese, 1 package of meat.
5
Number Sense
Units
Goals
Practice estimating and converting with different units.
Supplies
N/A
Prior Knowledge
Some algebra is useful.
Answers
1. 0◦ C = 32◦ F, x + 32 = 32
2. Multiply by 1.8.
3. Shift first: F = 1.8(C + 32)
4. 39.2◦ F and 69.8◦ F
5. C = F/1.8 - 32
6. 79.4◦ C and 36.6◦ C
7. Answers vary, but might include (in order): swimsuit, pants and a T-shirt, winter coat, and
coat and hat and scarf.
8. London: Cool (and probably rainy) but not freezing - about 50◦ F; St. Petersburg: Quite
cold, near 20◦ F; Dubai: Very hot, over 100◦ F! Remember when you converted human
body temperature?
9. London 45◦ F, St. Petersburg 14◦ F, Dubai 104◦ F.
10. It is the same in Fahrenheit and Celsius! You could use algebra to show that there are no
other temperatures (solve 1.8(x+32) = x/1.8-32).
The rest of the items have varying answers so are not included.
6
Number Sense
Modular Arithmetic
Goals
Discover the connection between modular arithmetic and familiar time concepts.
Supplies
N/A
Prior Knowledge
N/A
Answers
Clocks
1. 2 A.M.
2. 9 A.M.
3. 7 A.M.
4. 7
5. 7 P.M.
6. In the latter, you implicitly calculate the mod since 11 + 8 = 19 and clocks are mod 12.
7. 7
8. 3
9. Midnight.
Military Time
10. 4 (4 P.M.)
11. 2 A.M.
12. 24:00 or midnight
7
Other Bases
13. 5
14. There are seven days in the week!
15. Answers may include 60 seconds in a minute or minutes in an hour or 30 (approximately)
days in a month.
16. 1
17. 0
18. Only two.
19. Odd numbers are 1 mod 2, while even numbers are 0 mod 2.
20. 2
Doomsday
1. July 4, 1776 was a Thursday.
2. October 12, 1492 was a Friday.
3. December 7, 1941 was a Sunday.
4. July 20, 1969 was a Sunday.
8
Number Sense
Logarithms and Exponents
Goals
Provide either an elementary introduction or a refresher on exponents and logarithms
Supplies
A calculator which can compute logarithms in different bases
Prior Knowledge
N/A
Answers
1. If they work out the math they should choose the doubling scheme. If they pick the $100
scheme you should ask them to think about the end of the month with the doubling scheme.
2. 30 × $100 = $3000
3.
Day
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Formula
.01
.01 × 2
(.01 × 2) × 2
(.01 × 2 × 2) × 2
(.01 × 2 × 2 × 2) × 2
(.01 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2) × 2
(.01 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2) × 2
(.01 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2) × 2
(.01 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2) × 2
(.01 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2) × 2
(.01 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2) × 2
(.01 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2) × 2
(.01 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2) × 2
(.01 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2) × 2
9
Amount
.01
.02
.04
.08
.16
.32
.64
1.28
2.56
5.12
10.24
20.48
40.96
81.92
4. Doubling .01 29 times gives us $5,368,709.12
5. On day 15, you will double to $163.84, more than $100.
6. In these cases, the total amount you get is 30 × $1000 = $30, 000 or 30 × $10, 000 =
$300, 000, clearly less than the doubling option gives you even on just the final day. We
would need to make more than $200,00 each day to make it worth taking the flat option.
7. log2 (8) = 3 and log2 (64) = 6.
8. Allowance on a day = .01 × 2n−1
9. log2 (allowance on a day/.01) + 1 = n. In other words, we can use logarithms to figure out
on which day a certain amount of money is received.
10. One day in the month, you will receive $163.84. Can you use logarithms to figure out which
day? As you may have noticed with the allowance example above, exponents can help us
show very large numbers succinctly. They can also help us display growth in simple terms.
Above we have 2n in our formula.
For example if we wanted to figure out on which day we receive $163.84 in allowance we
would set up the following equation. $163.84 = .01 × 2(x−1) . The unknown x is the exponent, contrast that with the following equation 169 = x2 where we are solving for the
base. You probably know how to "undo" the square with a square root in the second equation, but you might not know how to solve the first equation. This is where logarithms
come in. When you use a logarithm you get to decide first what the base is and then find
the exponent. Most often you will need a calculator to find the logarithm.
Solving $163.84 = .01 × 2(x−1)
We will begin solving this problem by dividing both sides by .01 .
$163.84
.01
=
.01×2(x−1)
.01
$16, 384 = 2(x−1)
This is where the logarithm comes in. We will take the logarithm (base 2) of 16,384 to find
x-1.
log2 ($16, 384) = log2 (2(x−1) )
log2 (2x ) = x − 1 because we are figuring out what exponent we have to raise 2 to in order
to get 2(x−1) . The exponent in this case is x-1. The log2 "undoes" the 2 raised to x-1.
log2 ($16, 384) = x − 1 So how do we figure out log2 ($16, 384)? In this case we must use a
calculator.
14 = x − 1
15 = x
11. What is the first day you will recieve more than $6000? As above, we want $6, 000 =
.01 × 2x−1
Taking log2 (600000) gives us 19.19 days, so after we add 1 we get 20.19 But we need a whole
number of days, since the allowance is doubled once a day. So we would round up, and say
that the first day you receive more than six thousand dollars is the 21st day.
10
12.
Year
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Formula
$100
$100×(.10)+$100
(($100×(.10)+$100)×.10)+($100×(.10)+$100)
$100×1.103
$100×1.104
$100×1.105
$100×1.106
$100×1.107
$100×1.108
Amount
$100
$110
$121
$133.10
$146.41
$161.05
$177.16
$194.87
$214.36
13. It will be between 7 and 8 years before your investment doubles.
14. A = 100 × (1.10)t
15. A = P × (1 + r)t
16. Your interest rate was 7.5%.
17. Your interest rate was 8.0%.
18. Your interest rate was about 9.05%.
19. The 5 year scheme will deliver more money. The effective interest rate for those five years
is about 7.7%.
11
Number Sense
Changing Bases
Goals
Explore different bases.
Supplies
N/A
Prior Knowledge
Logs and Exponents activity (or other familiarity.)
Answers
1 ← 2 Machines
1. Now keep going with the dots and fill out this table!
1
1
2
10
3
11
4
100
5
101
6
110
7
111
8
1000
9
1001
10
1010
2. The code for 13 is 1100.
3. The code for 21 is 10101.
4. The completed table looks like this:
128
64
32
16
8
4
2
1
5. These numbers are doubling– that is, they are powers of 2. The rightmost box is 20 , the
next box to the left is 21 , and so on.
6. 29 = 512, so 511 only needs 9 boxes but 512 needs 10 boxes.
12
1 ← 3 Machines
7. Fill out the table for the 1 ← 3 machine:
1
1
2
2
3
10
4
11
5
12
6
20
7
21
8
22
9
100
10
101
8. The code for 13 is 111. The code for 21 is 1101.
9. Table below.
2187
729
243
81
27
9
3
1
10. Now the numbers are powers of 3, 3x , x starts counting at 0 on the right.
11. 4 boxes since 33 = 27 < 35 < 81 = 34
12. 39 = 19683, so 19682 only needs 9 boxes but 19683 needs 10 boxes.
1 ← 10 Machines
13. 1 ← 10 machine:
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
5
5
6
6
7
7
8
8
9
9
10
10
14. In order: 13, 21, 42, 100, 9387.
15. Table below.
1000000
100000
10000
1000
100
10
1
16. 100 , 101 , 102 , etc.
17. This machine rewrites numbers exactly the same as they were input.
13
14
Part II
Geometry
15
Geometry
Construction
Goals
Learn and practice some basic compass and straight edge constructions, reinforcing basic geometry skills.
Supplies
Compass, straight edge (a ruler will work, but a straight-edge without length markings would be
better), something round.
Prior Knowledge
Geometry, in particular perpendicular bisectors, quadrilaterals, triangle equality (SAS and SSS),
and circles (especially chords).
Hints
• Equilateral triangle: Remember that all radii of a circle are the same length.
• Perpendicular lines: Can you show that the angles we want to be right are equivalent? If
so, what does that imply about their size?
• Center of circle: Any chord of a circle is perpendicularly bisected by a diameter of that
circle.
• Square: All radii of a circle are the same length! Also, remember that a square is defined
as having four right angles and four equal sides.
Answers
Constructing a circle’s center :
Draw some line intersecting the circle in two points, such as chord AB.
17
A
B
Construct its perpendicular bisector DE as before; make sure it’s long enough to cross the
entire circle as a diameter.
D
A
B
E
Using the same method, draw the perpendicular bisector of DE Every diameter is divided
in half by the circle’s center, so the perpendicular bisector to DE will intersect DE at the center
of the circle.
18
D
C
E
19
Constructing the Square:
Use a compass to draw a circle centered at B that goes through A. Then we can find a point
Q so that B is halfway between A and Q:
A
B
Q
We then construct BC at a right angle to AB as before:
C
A
B
Q
We now draw a circle with center B going through point A, and mark that circle’s intersection point with line BC as point D.
C
D
A
B
20
We repeat this process to get another corner, again ensuring a perpendicular angle.
E
D
P
A
B
Again, this line is trimmed to a length equal to the distance between A and B
E
F
D
A
B
Repeat the same steps one more time to construct a perpendicular line at point F, and cut it off
at point D.
F
D
A
B
21
Geometry
Construction II
Goals
Learn and practice some further compass and straight edge constructions, reinforcing basic geometry skills. Students will also encounter the idea of unsolvable problems.
Supplies
Compass, straight edge (a ruler will work, but a straight-edge without length markings would be
better), square paper.
Prior Knowledge
This should be completed after the first construction activity.
Hints
• Bisecting: One valuable way to prove that angles are equal is through triangle equality. Do
you have any triangles? How can you know if they are equal?
• Marked ruler: think about creating an isosceles triangle by marking or extending the sides
of the angle. The midpoint of the last side of the triangle (which is easy to find with a ruler!)
will be on the angle bisector.
Answers
• Bisecting: The triangles formed, BDF and BEF are congruent by SSS. In the construction,
BD and BE are radii of the same circle, so BD = BE. Similarly, DF and EF were constructed as
radii of two equivalent circles, since the compass was not changed between drawing those
circles. Thus DF = EF. Finally, BF = BF so the triangles are congruent. As corresponding parts
of congruent triangles are congruent, angles DBF and EBF are congruent, and BF bisects
the angle.
E
F
B
D
22
Geometry
Möbius Strips
Goals
Explore an unexpected result, investigating properties of Möbius strips and beyond.
Supplies
Tape, long thin strips of paper (looseleaf or printer paper cut long-ways works); butcher paper
(optional)
Prior Knowledge
N/A
Hints and Answers
1. Without twists, there are two sides.
2. Each strip has two edges.
3. The line on the strip with a twist goes on the entire sheet of paper - there is no inside or
outside, as the line covers both apparent sides.
4. How many pieces of paper are there? How many twists are in them? Are they Möbius
strips too?
5. You may need to start over with a wider strip if it’s too narrow to cut.
6. What happens when you wrap a rubber band around a bottle once? What if you try to
wrap it twice? Also think about where the twists come from. Can the scissors cause twists
where they separate the paper?
7. Think about what you saw before!
8. Again, think about where the twists came from!
9. Results in the table!
Number of half-twists
0
1
2
3
4
5
number of sides
2
1
2
1
2
1
23
result of cutting in half
two cylinders (zero twists)
one strip, 4 half twists
two strips, 2 half twists each
one strip, 8 half twists
two strips, 4 half twists each
one strip, 12 half twists
Geometry
Pythagorean Theorem
Goals
Find two ways to prove the Pythagorean Theorem.
Supplies
Ruler, Protractor, Scissors, Paper.
Prior Knowledge
N/A
An Algebraic Proof
a
b
a
b
a
c
c
c
c
b
a
b
Answers
5. The first equation for the area of the square is (a + b)2 because each side is represented by
adding up the sides of the blue triangles so s = (a + b). Expanded this equals a2 + 2ab + b2 .
24
6. The second way to represent the area would be to add up the area of the blue triangles plus
the area of the green square. This looks like 4(1/2ab) + c2 = c2 + 2ab.
7. The two equations together would look like a2 + 2ab + b2 = c2 + 2ab. It is easy to see that
both equations share a common term 2ab. To simplify the equations subtract this term
from both sides. This should result in the simplified equation a2 + b2 = c2 . This equals
the Pythagorean Theorem and therefore the proof is done.
25
Geometry
How Far Can a Robot Reach?
Goals
Learn how to solve for the area of washers.
Supplies
Ruler.
Prior Knowledge
N/A
Hints
1. This drawing should look like a circle with radius 3. The set of points that can be reached
by the fully extended robot arm is all the points on the edge of the circle.
2. This diagram should be the same as the larger circle in part 1 but now there should a
smaller circle of radius 1, centered at the end point of the 2 inch segment.
3. The final stage of the diagram should look like a CD. With an outer ring of the circle shaded
in.
Answers
3a. The area of this small circle is π inches squared.
3b. The two areas combine to form a circle. The area of this circle is 9π inches squared.
3c. The area of the washer is the full circle minus the area of the inner circle. So the area would
be equal to 8π inches squared.
Hints for the Extensions
Does Order Matter?
26
The whole point of this exercise is to show that the order of the arms does not matter and
because of this, the area of the two washers will be the same. If the student is having a difficult
time with this problem, it might be because the diagram is a little tricky to draw. When drawing
this diagram there is going to be overlap because the longer arm is now on the outside. This
might be alarming at first, but when the diagram is finished the resulting washer should look
exactly the same as the washer in the original problem. From these pictures, the student should
observe this fact and see that the areas are the same.
Is it always a washer?
Now with two segments of equal length there will not be a washer that comes out of the
diagram. The entire circle will be covered and it is shown that with arm segments of the equal
length the reachablility region will be the entire circle.
What about More?
This problem seems more difficult than it actually is. Have the students label where the
segments connect as points. Point 1 is where the outer two segments connect, Point 3 is the
center point where the arm is fixed and Point 2 is where the inner segments connect.
Now that we have the points labeled it is easier to imagine the rotation. This first rotation
will happen around Point 1 while the inner two segments act as a single segment. This should
create a washer that looks similar to the our previous washers. The next rotation will happen
around Point 2 with the outer two segments acting as a single segment. This rotation should
look similar to the first washer in the Extensions Portion.
The end result should be a washer that is the same as the previous problems and the area
is easy to calculate.
27
Geometry
An Introduction to Spherical Geometry
Goals
Gain a basic understanding of the properties of spherical geometry. Especially the similarities
and differences between Euclidean and spherical geometries.
Supplies
Ball, marker, protractor, ruler and string.
Prior Knowledge
Basic Euclidean geometry. Basic information about triangles and lines.
Hints
In questions 1-4 we are trying to bring the student towards the conclusion that geometry
on a sphere in 3-dimensions is inherently different than 2-dimensional Euclidean geometry. We
guide them towards this conclusion by asking them to draw a ’line’ on a sphere and think about
whether this is the shortest distance between two points.
Questions 5-11 focus on the question of distance on a sphere. We hope that they begin to
understand that the shortest distance on a sphere can be deceiving. Ultimately we would like
them to approach the idea of curved shortest distances before reading about great circles.
Answers
N/A
28
Part III
Sets
29
Working with Sets
De Morgan’s Laws
Goals
Build basic set vocabulary, derive relations between set operations.
Supplies
Colored pencils or crayons.
Prior Knowledge
N/A
Hints
There are actually two such rules combining intersection, union, and complement. Set up
a new picture that is the same as before; a box with a red and a blue circle. How could you represent (Red ∩ Blue)c in this picture?
Hint: Remember that operations in parentheses happen first, then try coloring your diagram!
Can you think of another way to represent this expression by using a union instead?
Hint: To create the first law you wrote a union in terms of an intersection by removing the
parentheses. What happens if you try a union without any parentheses? Where should you take
a complement? How many complements do you need? Use a drawing!
How would you write each of these laws with three colors? (Hint: Draw a three-way Venn
Diagram!)
Hint: Go back to the way you wrote the laws. On each side, think about when it makes sense to
add another color. Should you add it inside or outside the parentheses? the color itself or its
complement?
Just as we can use our set vocabulary to talk about things besides colored circles, De Morgan’s Laws have applications far beyond the diagrams we have used to derive them. In our example about coin collections, how would you understand (A ∪ B)c ? Can you think of a way to
express that same idea using a ∩ using De Morgan’s Laws?
Hint: Think about the physical meanings of A and B, the coin collections. Also, just as in the
case for union, intersection, and complement don’t only apply to colors, De Morgan’s Laws can
describe sets defined by coins just as well as the colorful circles we started with.
31
Answers
1. The purple area is the intersection of the red and blue circles. Represented in symbols,
this would be Red ∩ Blue.
2. The combination of the three areas is the union of the blue and red circles. Represented
in symbols, this would be Red ∪ Blue.
3. The white area would be described as the complement of the union of the red and blue
circles.
4. Using symbols to represent the above answer, (Red ∪ Blue)c .
5. The area just shaded is the complement of the blue circle, or Bluec .
6. The brown (orange and green) area is an intersection.
7. Bluec ∩ Redc .
8. The brown area is equal to the white area in the first diagram.
9. (Red ∪ Blue)c = Bluec ∩ Redc
Set up a new picture that is the same as before; a box with a red and a blue circle. How
could you represent (Red ∩ Blue)c in this picture?
Can you think of another way to represent this expression by using a union instead?
Answer: First color in Red ∩ Blue (this should be purple), then look at everything that is not
purple. As a union, this can be expressed as Redc ∪ Bluec .
How would you write each of these laws with three colors? (Hint: Draw a three-way Venn
Diagram!)
1: (Red ∪ Blue ∪ Yellow)c = Redc ∩ Bluec ∩ Yellowc
2: (Red ∩ Blue ∩ Yellow)c = Redc ∪ Bluec ∪ Yellowc
In our example about coin collections, how would you understand (A∪B)c ? Can you think
of a way to express that same idea using a ∩ using De Morgan’s laws?
(A ∪ B)c : First, think about all the coins in both Alice and Bob’s collections, then take the complement to have every coin that is in neither Alice nor Bob’s collection.
De Morgan’s Laws: (A ∪ B)c = Ac ∩ B c and (A ∩ B)c = Ac ∪ B c
32
Sets
Building Sets
Goals
Continue building set vocabulary, increasing mathematical conception of sets.
Supplies
N/A
Prior Knowledge
Union and intersection (the De Morgan’s Laws activity introduces these concepts).
Possible Solutions
1. Penelope’s collection may involve items such as a teddy bear, a stuffed broccoli, and a
beanie baby octopus. Quinn’s collection could include Harry’s wand, copies of the books
and movies, LEGO Hogwarts sets, and Chocolate Frog cards.
2. Penelope and Quinn may both have a stuffed Hedwig (Harry’s owl), among other items.
3. What would the Venn Diagram look like?
P
Q
In this diagram, purple dots could represent the stuffed Hedwig or other Harry Potter
stuffed animals. The blue dots would be items which are only in Penelope’s collection,
such as a stuffed broccoli. The red dots represent Harry Potter memorabilia which are
only in Quinn’s collection, like copies of the books.
33
4. Four items - remember that repeats don’t count.
5. Those sets are {flowers} and {A,B,C,D,E}
6. Various; may include tenth graders, high school students, girls, redheads, people wearing
blue, and people in your immediate family.
7. Various; may include 90-year-olds, people who like anchovies, Boy Scouts, or people who
have been on television.
8. Various; one example is the set of all students in your class (that’s one description) are also
all high school students (there’s two) who likely all live in the same town (there’s a third!).
9. The set of cats is a subset of mammals.
10. House cats are a subset of cats, dogs are a subset of mammals but do not intersect cats,
while animals kept as pets will intersect with mammals, cats, and dogs (but is not a subset
of any).
11. Subsets may include seniors, middle school students, and people who like acting.
12. Tessa’s collection is smaller than (or the same size as) Grace’s.
13. {bat,tab,baa,at}
14. {bath,path}
15. Some of the elements of this set are "nominates","innate", "inmate", "nations", "tension",
"tin", "at","an", "to".
16. Some of the elements of this set are "cat", "bat", "rat", "bed", "die", "lie", "sky", "eye", and
"rye" To think about the size, can it go on forever? There are a finite number of choices of
letter, and only three positions to arrange them in. So while this set is very large, it is still
finite.
17. Five: {dwarf,dwell,dwindle,dweeb,dwine}, not including variations (such as dwelling, dwarvish,
etc.)
18. There are a lot of these words, but there can only be finitely many - they are all contained
by the dictionary.
19. This is finite, as they are all contained within the finite Earth.
20. There are none.
21. There are none.
34
Sets
Subsets
Goals
Extend knowledge of sets, introduce Inclusion-Exclusion Principle.
Supplies
Colored pencils or crayons.
Prior Knowledge
De Morgan’s Law activity, basic set vocabulary.
Answers:
1. There are 4 committees possible: no members, just Allison, just Brendan, and both members.
2. Each sign-up sheet would have to have either a yes or a no added to it with Charlene’s
name. So each single sign-up sheet has two possibilities when a new member is added. So
there are 8 possible committees. If a fourth member joined, then by the same logic there
are 16 possible committees.
3. In general, adding one new member to the club means that each of the existing possible
committees could have that new member in it or not. This will double the number of
possible committees.
4. There are 2n possible committees.
5. There are 16 subsets: {}, {2}, {4} , {7} , {15}, {2, 4} , {2, 7} ,{2, 15} , {4, 7}, {4, 15},
{7, 15}, {2, 4, 7}, {2, 4, 15}, {2, 7, 15}, {4, 7, 15}, and {2, 4, 7, 15}
6. The size of the power set is 2n .
7. The size of B is equal to or less than the size of A.
8. The two sets must be equal since they have exactly the same elements.
9. They are both subsets of C because all of the elements will be chosen from C.
10. |A ∪ B| = |A| + |B| − |A ∩ B|
35
11. (99/3) = 33, (100/5) = 20, (90/15)=6, so 33 + 20 − 6 = 47 numbers are divisible by 3 or 5.
12. (16+20)-30 = 6 houses
13. Let’s call our three sets A, B, and C. We could start by simply adding together the number
of items in each set. But then, as in the case of 2 sets, we overcount items which are in two
sets. So we need to subtract out the number of elements which are in A and B, and the
number of elements which are in A and C, and the number of elements which are in B
and C. But we’re not quite done yet. Consider an element which is in all three sets! It got
counted three times (since it is in A and B and C) but then it is subtracted out three times,
because it is in each of the intersections of two sets. So we need to add one final term to
our sum to account for any elements which are in all three sets.
In set vocabulary, this says that
|A ∪ B ∪ C| = |A| + |B| + |C| − |A ∩ B| − |A ∩ C| − |B ∩ C| + |A ∩ B ∩ C|
.
36
Sets
Types of Infinity
Goals
Understand countable infinity and the existence of others, introduce new ways of thinking
about infinity.
Supplies
N/A
Prior Knowledge
Basic set vocabulary and understanding elements of sets. This activity extends ideas from earlier
ones in this chapter.
Answers
5. The function described is f(x) = (2x + 1).
6. Two other functions that are easy to define: f(x) = 2x and f(x) = 2x - 1
37
38
Part IV
Probability
39
Probability
Probability vs. Reality
Goals
Explore the implications of probability in real life and introduce the concept of expected value.
Supplies
Package M&M’s, a coin to flip.
Prior Knowledge
Basic probability, familiarity with mean.
Answers
5. If we choose by the expected value, box A is better. However, the answer depends on your
attitude toward risk.
6. E(A) = .01 × 1, 000, 000 + .99 × 0 = $10, 000 and E(B) = .95 × 100 + .05 × 0 = $95. So
box A has a much higher expected value. Answers will vary for the second question, but
box B seems like a much safer bet.
7. .50 × 0 + .25 × 5 + .20 × 10 + .05 × 100 = 0 + 1.25 + 2 + 5 = $8.25
8. E[time] = (.60)(60) + (.40)(30) = 36 + 12 = 48 minutes.
9. Each of the outcomes (TTT, TTH, THT, HTT, HHT, HTH, THH, HHH) has an equal probability.
So we can see that the expected number of heads is equal to
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
12
3
1
(0 × ) + (1 × ) + (1 × ) + (1 × ) + (2 × ) + (2 × ) + (2 × ) + (3 × ) =
=
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
2
10.
1
2
× 1 + 21 × 0 = 12 , so the expected number of heads is 12 .
11. For each individual flip, the expected number of heads is 12 . The total number of heads is
the sum of the number of heads obtained in each individual flip. So each flip adds 12 to the
expected number of heads for the sequence of n flips. Thus the expected number of heads
is n 21 .
12. If the probability is .4, the expected number of heads is .4 × n. In general, for probability
p, we would have the expected number of heads as p × n.
41
M&M Probability
To fill out these tables, we can calculate in a very similar way, using the formula p × n for
each probability and sample size. For each color, we can find the expected value of that color for
one candy, and then multiply by the number of candies in each sample.
Based on equal probability: (answers may be slightly different depending on rounding)
Color
Blue
Sample of 10 candies
1.6
25 candies
4.16
50 candies
8.3
Brown
1.6
4.16
8.3
Green
1.6
4.16
8.3
Orange
1.6
4.16
8.3
Red
1.6
4.16
8.3
Yellow
1.6
4.16
8.3
Based on manufacturer statistics:
Color
Sample of 10 candies 25 candies
Blue
2.4
6
50 candies
12
Brown
2
5
10
Green
1.6
4
8
Orange
1.4
3.5
7
Red
1.3
3.25
6.5
Yellow
1.3
3.25
6.5
Answers for the final table will vary.
42
13. Answers will vary.
14. This depends on results, but in general we would expect to see the number of candies get
closer and closer to the expected values given by the manufacturer statistics.
15. Answers will vary. Possible topics include the size of the sample compared to the total
number of M&Ms that are made each year, the method the sample was gathered in, etc.
43
Probability
Game Theory
Goals
To gain an elementary understanding of game theory including Nash Equilibria and mixed strategies.
Supplies
N/A
Prior Knowledge
Basic probability, possibly Bayes’ theorem exercise.
Answers
1. Confess and betray.
2. Confess and betray.
3. Confess and betray, no matter what the other prisoner does, it is best for each to confess
and betray.
4. Do not buy gift.
5. Buy gift.
6. We don’t know. There are two Nash equilibria.
7. Nash = confess, confess
8. Don’t buy, Don’t buy and Buy, Buy
9. 25%
10. 25%
11. 25%
12. 25%
13. 16%
44
14. 16%
15. 64%
16. 4%
17. The probability acts as a weight to help us understand how much that outcome should
change our expectation.
18. 2.5 + 1.25 + 2.5 + 5 = $11.25
19. 2.5 + 1.25 + 2.5 + 5 = $11.25
20. .16×10 + .16×20 + .64×10 + .04×5 = $11.40
45
Probability
Bayes’ Theorem
Goals
To derive Bayes’ theorem through an investigative exercise.
Supplies
N/A
Prior Knowledge
Basic fraction arithmetic, understanding ’randomness’ of pulling cards.
Answers
1.
6
,
52
we multiply down the branch that represents our chosen outcome ( 12 ×
6
).
26
2.
20
,
52
we multiply down the branch that represents our chosen outcome ( 12 ×
20
).
26
Use the tree below to help with these questions, we grouped face cards and even numbered cards
together in non-odd probabilities.
Deck
1/4
3/4
Diamond
Non-Diamond
5/13
8/13
5/13
8/13
Odd
Non-Odd
Odd
Non-Odd
3.
here we know that we have diamond, out of the 13 diamonds 5 are odd (including the
Ace).
4.
47
, we get this by adding up all of
52
8
5
8
( 14 × 13
) + ( 34 × 13
) + ( 34 × 13
)
5
,
13
the branches excluding the odd diamond branch.
5. 1, this encompasses all possibilities for drawing a card. Every card is either an odd diamond
or not an odd diamond.
46
6.
Deck
12/52
40/52
Face Card
Non-Face Card
1/2
1/2
1/2
Red Black
7.
1/2
Red Black
6
,
52
once again we multiply through the branch representing the described outcome. This
12
is equal to the probability found in question 1. If their answer is 104
encourage the students
to think about simplifying.
12
52
×
1
2
8.
Deck
P(Face)
P(Non-Face)
Face Card
Non-Face Card
P(Red|Face) P(Black|Face)
Red
P(Red|Non-Face) P(Black|Non-Face)
Black
Red
Black
9. P(Face∩ Red)=P(Face)P(Red|Face), this is very similar to the expression given in the activity
except that Red and Face are switched in each position.
Hopefully they will find Bayes law:
P(Face∩ Red)=P(Face)P(Red|Face)=P(Red∩ Face)=P(Red)P(Face|Red).
10.
Plant
30%
70%
No Water
Watering
90%
10%
Dead Alive
47
20%
80%
Dead Alive
11. There is a 59% chance the plant will survive. This is (.30×.10)+(.70×.80). This represents
the chance your friend forgets to water the plant and it survives plus the chance your
friend remembers to water the plant and it survives.
12. We want P(watering|dead). This problem is challenging, the students needs to generalize
the answer to number nine and use Bayes’ Theorem.
We will use P(dead|watering)×P(watering)=P(watering|dead)×P(dead).
We then divide both sides by P(Dead) to find P(watering|dead). We know P(Dead) because
we found P(Alive) and P(Dead)+P(Alive)=1, because we know with certainty the plant is
either dead or alive. Thus P(Dead)=1-.59=.41
With numbers this equates to
.20×.70
.41
= .3415
Thus there is a 34.15% chance that your friend forgot to water your plant if you come home
and find it dead.
13. If your friend forgot to water it there is a 90% chance that it will be dead. This is given in
the tree and the question.
14.
Patient
98%
2
10,000
9,998
10,000
TB
No TB
2%
1%
Positive Negative Positive
99%
Negative
15. We want P(TB|Positive). This problem is challenging, once again the student needs to generalize the answer to number nine and use Bayes’ Theorem.
We will use P(Positive|TB)×P(TB)=P(TB|Positive)×P(Positive).
We then divide both sides by P(Positive) to find P(TB|Positive).
To find P(Positive) we add up the probability of having TB and getting a positive result and
not having TB and getting a positive result.
(.98 × .0002) + (.9998 × .01) = .010194
This means within the entire population there is about a 1.02% chance of testing positive
for TB.
Writing the expression with the numerical values, it is equal to
.98×.0002
.010194
= .019227.
Thus there is only about a 2% chance that you have TB even if you test positive for TB.
16. We want P(TB|Negative). This problem is very similar to the above problem.
We will use P(Negative|TB)×P(TB)=P(TB|Negative)×P(Negative).
We then divide both sides by P(Negative) to find P(TB|Negative).
48
To find P(Negative) we can use our answer from above because we know every test is
either positive or negative. Thus P(Negative)+P(Positive)=1 and therefore P(Negative)=1.010194=.9898
This means within the entire population there is about a 99% chance of testing negative
for TB.
With numbers the entire expression becomes
.02×.0002
.9898
= .00000404.
Thus there is only less than a hundredth of a percent chance that you have TB if you test
negative for TB. To put this in numbers of people, for every million people there are four
who have TB and will test negative.
49
50
Part V
Patterns
51
Patterns
Math in Nature
Fractals
1. They should see at least three levels.
2. Trees, ice crystals, and leaf veins are three possible answers.
3. Bubbles, pine cones, and seashell spirals are some examples.
4. Answers could vary.
2
2
0
4.7
4
2.7
8
5.3
4
2
3.2
4.7
5.9
8
2.3
3
4.2
5
6.1
2
2.8
4
4.6
5.3
1.3
2
3.2
4
4.4
0
1.6
2.7
3.6
4
Voronoi
5. Answers vary.
6. Answers vary but may consider the cell nucleus or source of pigmentation as the points
defining the Voronoi cells.
7. Drying mud, turtle shells, leaf cells, foam, territories of territorial animals, etc.
8. Snow constructed the Voronoi cell around the Broad Street pump, showing the region for
which that was the closest water source. Most of the cases of cholera were located within
that cell, supporting his theory that the pump spread the disease. They then removed the
pump handle (forcing people to get their water elsewhere), and the outbreak ceased.
9. On a sphere, you could map the nearest airport (https://www.jasondavies.com/maps/
voronoi/airports/) or consider sunspots, which also show Voronoi patterns, among
other options. Defining distance on a sphere is more complicated than on a plane.
53
Patterns
Fibonacci Numbers in Nature
Goals
To begin recognizing the mathematical underpinnings of our everyday existence.
Supplies
N/A
Prior Knowledge
N/A
Answers
1. 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144.
2. There are 34 ’seeds’ in the outermost ring. It is the ninth number in the Fibonacci sequence.
3. There are 13 seeds in each arc. This is relatively difficult to see so it is not an issue if they
are incorrect.
4. Pine cones and pineapples are two good examples.
5. Flowers have developed to do this because it is the most efficient way to place the seeds.
In this configuration, there is the least amount of empty space between seeds so the plant
can fit more.
6. The most efficient number will be .618 plus any integer value, 1.618, 2.618 etc.
54
8-9. This is just the beginning of the diagram, the full answer should be a larger tree.
For the Fibonacci spiral, the students picture should look like the figure below.
55
Patterns
Counting Patterns
Goals
Discover more occurrences of the Fibonacci numbers.
Supplies
N/A
Prior Knowledge
Fibonacci in Nature activity (or other prior encounter with Fibonacci numbers).
Answers
1. It is not always possible to use only rectangles - whenever there are an odd number of
squares, at least one square tile is needed.
2.
Number of Squares on Board
1
2
3
4
5
6
Number of Ways to tile
1
2
3
5
8
13
3. They seem to be growing pretty quickly - I wouldn’t want to fill out many more!
4. They are the Fibonacci numbers! Where have you seen those before?
5. Answers vary.
6. All the tilings in the left column end with a square tile, while all those in the right column
end with a rectangular tile. There are 5 in the left and 3 in the right.
7.
Squares on Board
1
2
3
4
5
6
Number of Ways to tile
1
2
3
5
8
13
56
# ending in a rectangle
0
1
1
2
3
5
# ending in a square
1
1
2
3
5
8
8. Each column is counting up the Fibonacci numbers (except for the very first), they just
start at slightly different places!
9. If there are n squares, the nth Fibonacci number will tell you how many tilings there are,
the (n-1)th will tell you how many of those end in a square, and the (n-2)th will tell you
how many end in a rectangle.
10. You can think about creating the new tilings for the larger board by starting with smaller
boards. If you are trying to tile a board with, say, 8 squares, you could take each possible
tiling of a 7-board and stick a square on the end to get 8 tiles, and also each tiling of a 6board with a rectangle stuck on the end. You don’t have to worry about any smaller boards
because they need multiple pieces to get to 8, and would be caught by either the 6’s or 7’s.
Then you just have to add both of those numbers together - exactly how you calculate the
Fibonacci numbers. This applies to any board length!
11. There are 8 ways, and they can be written exactly the same way we wrote out our tilings.
It is possible to write out the 12 stair version, but it would take a long time because the
Fibonacci numbers grow really quickly.
12. Yes! It is exactly the same pattern, but you look at whether the top step is stepped on or
skipped.
13. Yes, using the Fibonacci numbers is much easier - just keep adding! There are 233 different
ways!
14. It probably is surprising, but math is funny like that.
57
Geometry
Tiling
Goals
Explore different patterns that cover the plane, using repeated polygons and symmetry descriptions.
Supplies
Scissors, coloring supplies, research material.
Prior Knowledge
N/A
Answers
1. Regular tilings only contain one type of polygon. If there were multiple types, not every
edge could be the same.
2. There are three different regular tilings - triangles, squares, and hexagons.
3. Six triangles, four squares, three hexagons.
4. It is semiregular, as some edges have two dodecahedra and some have one dodecahedron and one triangle. Tilings can be described by their vertices; this one is triangledodecahedron-dodecahedron or 3-12-12, using each number to represent the sides on the
polygons that are present.
5. Tilings with only one type of polygon cannot be semiregular without being regular - you
cannot have different edges with only one shape present.
6. There are eight different semiregular tilings.
7. The pattern with four triangles and a hexagon is different when reflected - that makes a
ninth pattern!
8. Answers include (but are not limited to) Reflection: butterflies, faces (approximately), the
letters A, H, U, and M, the numbers 8 and 3. Rotation: flowers, the letters Z, S, and N.
Translation: All the regular and semiregular tesselations, stripes, a row of desks.
9. Many items with rotational symmetry, such as flowers, also have reflectional symmetry.
Anything can have translational symmetry if it is repeated.
58
10. All the tesselations show translational symmetry; many also show rotational and reflectional symmetry as each polygon is symmetric in several directions.
11. Answers vary.
12. Answers vary; both are possible.
13. Answers vary.
14. It has translational symmetry only if you are moving vertically (or if your repeating unit
is an entire V).
15. When the repeating unit is only \, this pattern has symmetry from a glide rotation.
59
60
Part VI
Data
61
Data
Bad Graphs
Hints
Now, let’s look at some real examples of bad and misleading charts. For each one, write a
couple sentences explaining what’s wrong with the picture presented of the data. Remember,
there might be more than one problem. Then, take a second to think and write about why the
author of the chart might have chosen to make the chart that way. Did they have a specific point
they wanted to make? Did they get so caught up in the visual possibilities that they lost the
meaning? Did they just mess up?
1. Does the bill representing 44 cents look about half as big as the original dollar?
2. Check where each point is plotted.
3. Which direction does the y axis normally go?
4. Is this an appropriate type of graph for the data presented?
Answers
1. This graph scales the length of the dollar with purchasing power. However, since they
keep the height proportional to width, this means that the difference in area is squared.
So the bill representing 44 cents, which should be about half the size of the original bill
(100 cents), ends up looking about a quarter of the size! This exaggerates the decrease
in spending power. The author of this graph was perhaps intending to do so to prove a
political point, or to suggest that the trend is more scary or important.
2. The energy meters and washing machines do not scale correctly to the numbers they intend to represent. Additionally, the piggy banks suffer from a similar problem as the dollar
bills above, failing to reflect the value in the area, a problem made worse by distractions
like the dollar bills sticking out. Additionally, even though the first piggy bank represents
zero it doesn’t have zero size (in any dimension). The graph’s creators perhaps hoped to
sell TopTen brand washing machines to an environmentally conscious audience.
3. First of all, this graph has one point (November) plotted in the wrong place! 8.6% is the
lowest value on the graph, yet it appears level with the 9% tickmark. This has the effect
of showing a flattened curve. Furthermore, we see that the graph is plotted within a very
small range, to give the appearance of a sharp increase in unemployment, when in fact it
has remained fairly stable, only moving up and down a few tenths of a percent. This graph
might have been created to make President Obama look bad.
63
4. This graph has an extremely misleading y-axis: the highest numbers are at the bottom.
Also, the use of color can be misleading as well. This is the graph flipped right-side up,
telling a completely different story! The creators of the first graph were likely interested
in showing that the "stand your ground" law didn’t increase gun murders.
Image from Business Insider.
5. Yikes! In addition to the typos and unhelpful illustrations, this looks something like a
pie chart, but it does not form a complete circle, and the percentages are not parts of a
whole. Not all of the wedges are labeled, not all of the labeled wedges are percents or other
comparable measures, and the size of the wedge in no way reflects the value it represents.
Look at the two 88% wedges! In short, a pie chart is not at all the correct representation
for this data, and the chart they made is a particularly poor example of a pie chart. This
chart also doesn’t cite any sources for the data, casting doubt on numbers such as "88%
of people might be happier if they took action to talk to a counselor or psychotherapist
about their problems." This graph may have been intended to encourage people to visit
psychotherapists, in particular hoping to convey the scientific nature of the field through
use of a graph.
6. This is not the appropriate use of a best-fit line (a line added to show a relationship between
variables)! Not only does the data being fit not appear linear (maybe a curved quadratic fit
would be better?), the x-axis is not arranged along a numeric scale (the states are organized
by increasing votes, but regularly spaced). Additionally, there are two different y-axes, and
the Obama/Clinton axis is not well explained.
64
Data
Graphing
Goals
Understand making and reading histograms and scatter plots.
Supplies
Graph paper is useful but not necessary.
Prior Knowledge
Basic algebra may be helpful.
Answers
1. The lowest bin with at least one state is $35,000-$40,000 is, and $70,000-$75,000 is the highest occupied bin.
2. Eight states.
3. Nine states.
4. The $45,000 to $50,000 bin; reasons may vary.
5. It would fall in the $55,000 to $60,000 bin, near the majority of the states.
6. Answers vary. States at the high end include Washington, D.C., Alaska, Maryland, and Connecticut. Mississippi is the lowest, and West Virginia, Arkansas, and Alabama are also on
the low end.
7. The populations spread between 23 and 447 thousand, a range of 424.
8. Since the data covers almost 500 numbers (0-450), five bins of 100 each seems reasonable.
65
9.
10. Virginia has a particularly high population – notice the empty bin separating it from the
other twelve colonies.
11. The populations seem to cluster at the lower end (nearer zero).
12. There are the most colonies between 100,000 and 200,000 people. Connecticut, New Jersey,
New York, North Carolina and South Carolina were all in that bin. This is a reasonable
middle of most of the colonies’ populations.
13. No they do not. For example, Connecticut is pretty small but very well populated. Also,
remember that the original 13 colonies did not have the same shape as their modern counterparts. Massachusetts included most of what is now Maine!
14. Answers vary.
15. Yes, it makes sense - a higher median income tends to indicate that fewer people have
particularly low incomes, or else they would skew the income lower.
16. It is highly unlikely that any place will have a median income of zero, but is an important
theoretical extension of the line.
17. Median income is x, and remember that your x is in thousands. So for Northfield y =
−0.296 × 59.233 + 30.975 = 13.4%.
18. Answers vary, but for Northfield the Census reports 10.0% poverty, lower than the equation
predicts.
19. Unlike any other state, Washington, D.C. is really only a city without any rural or suburban
areas to balance either the median income or poverty rate. Many cities are likely comparable to D.C. with high economic disparity.
20. All the way to the left, Mississippi might be considered an outlier, as it has particularly
high poverty.
66
Data
Introduction to Statistics
Goals
Provide basic background and knowledge in analysis of data.
Supplies
Graph paper is useful but not necessary. For some parts of the activity access to Excel/Google
sheets is necessary.
Prior Knowledge
Basic algebra may be helpful. Must complete graphing activity or be familiar with histograms
before completing this activity.
Answers
1. My histogram shows that the median household income in the United States (by state) is
most often between $45,000 and $50,000. There are a few states with median household
incomes higher than $65,000 but it is not common.
67
2. Mississippi has the lowest median income ($39,031) and Maryland is the highest ($73,538).
3. Mississippi has a lot of poverty and is not thriving economically. Maryland is relatively
small and prosperous. (Possibly other economic explanations–research could provide.)
4. There is an association between high per capita income and high median household income, however it is not always true. That is to say the order of median household income
from highest to lowest is not exactly the order of per capita income from highest to lowest.
If the students do any investigation on per capita income they will realize it is a mean-type
average and can be heavily influenced by outliers.
5. The three types of averages can be the same but are not necessarily the same. A data set
that only contains one unique value will always have the same mean, median and mode.
6. The mean can be skewed by outliers and it is unlikely two households will have exactly
the same income so mean and mode seem like they would be inappropriate measures for
household income. Median is the most appropriate because it gets rid of outliers and does
not depend on identical data points.
7. A set of data with a few outliers and a large amount of one number would be ideal for the
mean. A varied sample with outliers calls for the median, while a sample with few extreme
outliers is a good use for the mean.
8. Mean:$53,530
Median:$51,843
Mode:The mode does not exist, all values are unique.
9. The median definitely seems to be between 18 and 24 in the United States. The mean is
less clear although also is probably between 18 and 24.
10. The mean and median are definitely not the same in the second histogram.
11. The extreme outliers on the right of the histogram suggest that the mean will be skewed
and too high to effectively represent the data. The median should more appropriately
represent the data. The mean will be higher than the median.
12. The standard deviation is 3.
Data
Distance from Mean (74)
(xi − µ)
(xi − µ)2
70
71
74
74
76
79
-4
16
-3
9
0
0
0
0
2
4
5
25
13. Median Household Income:
Mean: $53,530
Median:$51,843
68
Mode:N/A
Standard Deviation: $8,694
Per Capita Income:
Mean: $28,054
Median: $26,824
Mode:N/A
Standard Deviation:$4,613
Persons in Poverty (percent):
Mean: 15.16%
Median: 15.60%
Mode: 18.6%
Standard Deviation: 3.33%
69
70
Part VII
Logic
71
Logic
Pigeonhole Principle
Goals
Introduce and explore the pigeonhole principle and its applications.
Supplies
N/A
Prior Knowledge
N/A
Answers
1. To fit all six of you in the car, you must share seats. There aren’t enough for everybody to
have their own.
2. We would need two more rackets in order for everyone to have their own.
3. Yes because there are more people than months.
4. Yes, because exactly two people in each month is 24 people and the last (25th ) must have
been born in a month with at least two other people.
5. The pigeonhole principle doesn’t say anything about which people or months are repeated.
6. No, all we know is at least one.
7. Answers vary.
8. Answers vary.
9. Answers vary.
10. We let the residents be the objects, and sort them into the category of how many hairs
they have on their head. There are 1,000,000 categories, and 3.28 million residents, so we
clearly have two with the same number of hairs.
11. The limitation of the Pigeonhole Principle is that it doesn’t give us any idea of where to
start looking. It is definitely true (observable in the world) that there are two bald people,
but the pigeonhole principle cannot help us prove it.
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12. The pigeonholes or categories are the sock colors. So we need the number of socks to be
greater than the number of different colors. If you pull out three socks, then either two of
them are violet or two are black.
13. The pigeonhole principle doesn’t tell us anything about which categories are full. The
worst case scenario is where you grab all of the violet socks before you even get a single
black sock. Thus you’d need 4+2=6 socks to be sure to have a pair of black ones.
14. The pigeonholes or categories are the patterns of sock. So we need the number of socks to
be greater than the number of different patterns. So if she takes out 4 socks then she will
have a matching pair.
15. If the socks don’t have to match, then any two socks that she takes out of the drawer are
an acceptable pair. This means there is only one category or pigeonhole, so to get an acceptable pair of socks Zinnia can take only 2 socks.
16. In this case, the pigeonhole categories are argyle and non-argyle. Any two non-argyle
socks form an acceptable pair, and any two argyle socks also form a pair. So there are two
pigeonholes, and so we need three socks, just as in question 12.
17. The minimum number is 0, the maximum number is 49 (since you can’t get your own phone
number!). The list 0, 1, 2, ..., 49 has 50 entries in total.
18. No, in this case there are 50 objects being placed into 50 categories, so there is no guarantee
that the numbers chosen are all different.
19. The difference is that in the mutual phone number exchange, one guest’s choices affect the
possibilities for the other guests. If one person decides not to share their phone number
with anyone, then no one at the party can exchange phone numbers with them. Then the
maximum number of phone number exchanges for any of these guests is 48. The argument
also works in reverse– if one guest got the phone numbers of all of the other 49 people,
then all of those guests shared their numbers with at least one person. On the other hand,
if each guest chooses individually, it is possible that one guest would choose 0 and another
would choose 49.
20. By the previous question, either each guest’s number of phone number exchanges is between 0 and 48, or each guest’s number is between 1 and 49. In each interval there are only
49 possible categories, and 50 guests, so the Pigeonhole Principle shows there must be two
guests in the same category.
21. Yes, this statement is true for a party with any number of guests. There will always be the
same number of possible phone number exchanges as there are guests, and it will always
be impossible to have a guest who exchanges numbers with everyone and a guest who
exchanges numbers with no one.
74
Logic
Formal Logic
Goals
Gain an understanding of the logical system used in mathematics.
Supplies
N/A
Prior Knowledge
N/A
Answers
1. Logical Implications
P
T
T
F
F
Q
T
F
T
F
P⇒Q
T
F
T
T
P
T
T
F
F
Q
T
F
T
F
P∨Q
T
T
T
F
2. Logical Disjunction
• True
• True
• True
• False
3. Logical Conjunction
75
• True
• False
• False
• True
P
T
T
F
F
Q
T
F
T
F
P∧Q
T
F
F
T
4. Logical Negation
P
T
T
F
F
∼P
F
F
T
T
Q
T
F
T
F
∼Q
F
T
F
T
P⇒Q
T
F
T
T
∼P ⇒ Q
T
T
T
F
∼Q ⇒ ∼P
T
F
T
T
5. Extensions
P
T
T
F
F
∼P
F
F
T
T
Q
T
F
T
F
∼Q
F
T
F
T
P∧Q
T
F
F
T
∼(P ∧ Q)
F
T
T
F
∼P ∧ Q
F
T
T
F
P ∧ ∼Q
F
T
T
F
∼P ∧ ∼Q
T
F
F
T
P
T
T
F
F
∼P
F
F
T
T
Q
T
F
T
F
∼Q
F
T
F
T
P∨Q
T
T
T
F
∼(P ∨ Q)
F
F
F
T
∼P ∨ Q
T
F
T
T
P ∨ ∼Q
T
T
F
T
∼P ∨ ∼Q
F
T
T
T
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Logic
Logical Paradoxes
Goals
To learn about the definition and examples of paradoxes, and understand the mathematical applications of paradox in mathematics
Supplies
N/A
Prior Knowledge
Truth Tables activity or other familiarity with formal logic.
Hints
1. Even numbers are multiples of 2.
Answers
1. No, this is not possible. Then the fraction would not be fully reduced, because the 2 in the
numerator and the 2 in the denominator could be canceled.
2. Now a2 must be even by definition, because it is 2b2 , which is a multiple of 2. We know that
b2 is a whole number because b is a whole number.
3. The product of two odd numbers is odd, and the product of two even numbers is even. So
since a2 is even, a must be even as well.
4. We see 2b2 = 4c2 so b2 = 2c2 .
5. Since it is a multiple of 2, b2 must be even.
6. By the same reasoning as part 3, b is even as well.
7. We have shown that a is even and b is even. However, we also know√that this statement
must be false because we assumed that the fraction representation of 2 was fully reduced
and therefore a and b both can’t be even.
77
Logic
Logic Puzzles
Goals
• Practice logical thinking and creative problem solving.
Supplies
• N/A
Prior Knowledge
N/A
Puzzle #1
© 2015PuzzleBaron.com
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Puzzle #2
© 2015PuzzleBaron.com
79
Puzzle #3
© 2015PuzzleBaron.com
80
Puzzle #4
© 2015PuzzleBaron.com
81
Puzzle #5
© 2015PuzzleBaron.com
82
Puzzle #6
© 2015PuzzleBaron.com
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84
Part VIII
Miscellaneous
85
Miscellaneous
Map Coloring
Goals
Discover rules of map coloring and basic graph theory.
Supplies
Colored pencils (or other coloring supplies).
Prior Knowledge
N/A
Answers
1. Since they are not connected to the rest of the United States, they can be any color.
2. Answers vary.
3. Yes, it should be possible.
4. Yes, it is possible - if you didn’t make it, think about what states you could have colored
differently.
5. No, it is not possible. For example, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts must be
three different colors.
6. No, at least four colors are needed. Look at Nevada and the states around it.
7. 48 colors, one for each state!
8. Answers vary; may include ideas of simplification and clarity of which states are connected.
9. Here is a legend that corresponds to each vertex.
A - Brazil, B - French Guiana, C - Suriname, D - Venezuela, E - Columbia, F - Ecuador, G Peru, H - Bolivia, I - Chile, J - Argentina, K - Paraguay, L - Uruguay, M - Guyana
87
Figure 1: An example of a map that diagrams South America
10. You need at least four colors.
88
Miscellaneous
Shortest Path Problem
Goals
To learn Dijkstra’s Algorithm and experience algorithmic thinking. Also to get a basic understanding of one the most popular math problems, The Traveling Salesman.
Supplies
N/A
Prior Knowledge
N/A
Answers
1. The possible paths are {1,2,5}, {1,4,5}, {1,2,3,5}, {1,2,4,5}, {1,4,2,5}, {1,4,2,3,5}
2. The lengths of each path are {1,2,5} = 6, {1,4,5} = 63, {1,2,3,5} = 50, {1,2,4,5} = 65, {1,4,2,5} =
14, {1,4,2,3,5} = 58
3. The shortest path is {1,2,5}.
4. The shortest path using Dijkstra’s algorithm is {A,B,H} and has a length of 56.
A
C
D
B
E
I
F
A
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
B
22A
22A
22A
22A
22A
22A
22A
C
9A
9A
9A
9A
9A
9A
9A
D
12A
12A
12A
12A
12A
12A
12A
E
∞
74C
45D
45D
45D
45D
45D
F
∞
51C
51C
51C
51C
51C
51C
G
∞
∞
∞
∞
68E
63I
63I
H
∞
∞
∞
56B
56B
56B
56B
I
∞
∞
42D
42D
42D
42D
42D
5. The possible paths are {A,C,E,D,F}, {A,B,D,F}, {A,B,C,E,D,F}
6. The lengths of each path are {A,C,E,D,F} = 20, {A,B,D,F} = 25, {A,B,C,E,D,F} = 27.
7. Using Dijkstra’s Algorithm the shortest path is {A,C,E,D,F} with length 20.
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8. This table gives the proper completion for the directed weighted graph.
A
C
E
D
B
A
0
0
0
0
0
B
4A
4A
4A
4A
4A
C
2A
2A
2A
2A
2A
90
D
∞
∞
4E
4E
4E
E
∞
3C
3C
3C
3C
F
∞
∞
∞
11D
11D
Miscellaneous
Flexagons
Goals
Provide a basis for understanding phase diagrams, learning how to investigate unknown structures.
Supplies
Copies of the flexagon templates, scissors and glue or paste.
Prior Knowledge
N/A
Hints/Answers
Your First Flexagon
1. There are three faces.
2. Answers to this question will vary– Depending on which face starts up. It will either be
repeating through the cycle 1-2-3-1, or 3-2-1-3.
3. As alluded to above, the order reverses when the flexagon is flipped upside down.
HexaHexaFlexagon
4. Since hexa- means "six", we might expect to see six different faces.
5. Answers will vary– there are 6 in all, but some faces are harder to find than others.
6. Again, answers will vary. It’s possible to find cycles of 3 like with the trihexaflexagon.
However, these cycles can be rearranged with careful flexing: see below.
7. There is not a fixed order for the faces to appear in, not all of the faces show up in a complete cycle. We can find simple cycles of three faces, but we can also deviate from those
cycles.
8. This pattern should reveal the same three faces, cycling in order.
91
9. This is reminiscent of the trihexaflexagon, where you cannot flex on the same corner more
than once.
10. If you cannot fold on this corner, there will turn out to only be one way to flex the flexagon.
However, there are other faces which can be flexed in two different ways.
11. There are some faces which are always flexible in only one way, and some faces which can
sometimes be flexed in two different ways.
12. Faces 4, 5, and 6 can always be flexed in only one way, but faces 1, 2, and 3 will end up on
both lists.
13. There must be two different faces, made of the same 6 triangles, which behave in different
ways. Maybe this is caused by the way the triangles are arranged relative to each other .
14. If you follow the above procedure, folding at a single corner until you can no longer flex
at that corner, and then moving onto an adjacent corner, and continuing in the same direction, you will see the star which used to mark the inside corner now split up, with the
marks on outer corners. This means that even though this face has the same triangles,
their orientation is different. This difference will correspond to whether the face can be
flexed in two different ways, or only one way.
Mapping The Flexagon
15. This represents the order in which the faces of the trihexaflexagon appear when flexed.
16. In step 8, where we moved to adjacent corners of the flexagon, we see a repeating cycle of
three faces.
17. There should be 4 different simple cycles. Although order changes (depending on which
side is face up, just like with the trihexaflexagon) these cycles will be (1 → 2 → 3 → 1...);
(1 → 4 → 3 → 1...), (2 → 5 → 1 → 2), and (2 → 3 → 6 → 2...);
18. The cycles are (1∗ → 2∗ → 3∗ → 1∗ ...); (1∗ → 4 → 3 → 1∗ ...), (2∗ → 5 → 1 → 2∗ ), and
(2 → 3∗ → 6 → 2...);
19. To combine the diagrams, you’d simply want to make sure that each of the "starred" multiflexible faces are connected to two different cycles. There is a "main" 1-2-3 cycle, and
each of those three faces has an additional cycle of three faces attached to it.
92
Miscellaneous
Math in Literature
Goals
Explore familiar and new mathematical concepts through the lens of literature. Lots of projects
for students to choose.
Supplies
Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott
Prior Knowledge
N/A
Answers
Flatland
1. Playing on a donut creates four new possible winning configurations.
2. All of them are on new diagonals - the horizontal and vertical moves are unchanged.
3. Answers vary; may be easier with the donut to stick your opponent in a "trap" where the
first player wins regardless of the other’s move. There are also likely fewer ties.
4. The four diagonals added by the normal donut still win - but there are also four more winning diagonals created by the twist! Did you notice that the middle square is completely
unaffected by the changes?
5. Answers again vary; did you notice that it’s actually impossible to tie?
The Number Devil
• Triangles will be formed!
• Again, we see triangles, but now they are oriented and sized differently.
• The sum of all the entries in a row is a power of 2. In fact, each row sums to double what
the row above it sums to.
93